Omar Khadr, the Canadian citizen who was captured by American forces in Afghanistan in 2002 and spent a decade imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay, tells his own story in his own words, in this documentary portrait from directors Patrick Reed and Michelle Shephard.

Guantanamo's Child: Omar Khadr

Patrick Reed, Michelle Shephard

Year

2015

Runtime

80 min

Language

English, Arabic

Country

Canada

July 27, 2002 marks a watershed event
in history. On that day, the Toronto-born
fifteen-year-old Omar Khadr was captured
in Afghanistan by American forces during
a raid. Wounded, he was taken in by the US
authorities and sent to the controversial
Guantanamo Bay detention camp. Branded
by some as a child soldier and accused by
many others of being a terrorist and murderer,
Khadr would find his next thirteen
years a long, torturous battle for freedom.

In prison, Khadr struggled to endure the
inhumane conditions and demoralizing
improbability of release. In the outside
world, public outcry mounted as the US
and Canadian governments refused to take
action. It took the relentless work of Dennis
Edney, Khadr's lawyer of over a decade,
to advance the case. Finally repatriated
to Canada in 2012, and released in May
of this year, Khadr now faces the Harper
government's attempt to overturn his bail.

Featuring unprecedented access to former
fellow inmates, family members, and
government officials, Guantanamo's Child:
Omar Khadr acquaints us with an incredibly
resilient youth who grew up in a tragic and
mind-boggling setting. It also analyzes the
political implications of Khadr's case, which
was the first instance since World War II of a
US war crimes trial convicting someone for
acts allegedly committed as a child.

Investigating a life that has sparked
some of the most heated political debates
in recent history, filmmakers Patrick Reed
and Michelle Shephard reveal a young man
who is cautiously ready for another chapter
of his life. And for the first time, Omar Khadr
himself tells us his side of the story.